Azernews, 23 March 2005

China unequivocally backs Azerbaijan's territorial integrity within the framework of the Upper Garabagh conflict, Chairman of the People's Republic of China Hu Jintao said in a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday.

Jintao said that China faced a similar problem and that his country's position is based on a peaceful resolution of such conflicts in compliance with the UN resolutions.

Azerbaijan attaches importance to the support of China, one of the five permanent members of the United Nations. The country supports official Beijing in the resolution of the Taiwan problem.

The two countries signed 13 documents, including a memorandum on technical assistance by the Chinese Foreign Ministry to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, as well as agreements on co-operation between the two countries' state television channels, national Olympic committees and justice ministries.

Also signed were documents on communications and information technologies, trade-economic, economic-technical and cultural collaboration, as well as one on lifting double taxation.

A joint declaration signed by Chinese and Azerbaijani presidents covers the Upper Garabagh conflict, military co-operation between the two countries and support from Beijing to commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Gars railway. In the declaration, China reaffirms the four resolutions on the Upper Garabagh conflict adopted by the UN Security Council and states its support for a peaceful conflict resolution. On Friday, the Azerbaijani President attended a forum of the two countries' businessmen. China expressed great interest in Azerbaijan's energy resources, the non-oil sector, textile, light industry and mechanical engineering. More than 20 documents, including projects, protocols and agreements, were signed in the forum attended by 50 Azerbaijani and 400 Chinese representatives.

Chinese companies have invested over $300 million in Azerbaijan so far. The funds were invested in the country's oil and gas sector. Moreover, Chinese companies have expressed interest in the mechanical engineering and textile industry of Azerbaijan, as well as agricultural projects.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and China made up $180 million in 2004. $40 million of the amount was made up by the export of Azeri oil to China.